BEAUFORT — Lumberton native Dusty Conner put down his hair brush and picked up a paint brush, which led to him being featured in an art studio in Beaufort, S.C.

Connor recently retired from leading the Department of Cosmetology at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and began pursuing his talent and love of painting.

“Everyone has some God-given talent and they should use it,” Conner said.

Conner, 62, grew up on a tobacco farm in Lumberton. As a child he liked to draw, color and paint, and used those activities as a respite from all the hard work on the farm. His innate love of beauty found an avenue of expression through his hands and he attended Aurora Beauty College to become a hairdresser. Conner has taught cosmetology all around the world, including Puerto Rico and China. He even taught on a cruise twice and has worked with Vogue magazine, he said.

After retiring, Conner began working on his art. His work was showcased in the show “Pixels to Pigment: A Provocative Perspective from the Camera to the Canvas” at the USCB Center for the Arts in May 2015. In 2013, Conner and Marilee Sartori, another artist and friend, were featured in the collaborative show “Friends and Art … Love Made Visible.”

“Most people think that you can just get out there and paint, but you have to be inspired,” he said.

Conner’s art is inspired by exotic flowers and most of his pieces focus on a single flower. His favorite flower to paint is the bird-of-paradise, which is a flower that resembles a bird.

“I try to work with things people aren’t familiar with,” he said.

Conner typically spends eight to 12 hours on a piece, depending on the content. But he has been working on a 5-by-6 foot piece for months.

He paints in his studio behind his house and it’s his favorite place to be, Connor said.

“No one is welcomed unless invited,” he said.

His favorite piece is one of sunflowers not because of the art, but because of how it affected someone’s life.

Conner said a lady bought one of the multiple paintings he has displayed at Lowcountry Medical Group in Beaufort. He later ran into the woman while he was at a restaurant and she shared how the painting reminded her of her mother, who had died of cancer.

“After I heard that I said ‘please take the money back,’” he said. “You never know how someone is going to react to your painting or how it affects them.”

Conner’s art is displayed at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery in Beaufort, S.C. The show continues until Oct. 29.

His works on display in the show are 15 paintings of fruits, fauna, and flowers, including a highly dimensional bird of paradise; a pair of figs; and a sunflower in conversation with a moth.

For more information about the studio, go to www.beaufortartassociation.com, or call 843-521-4444. Beaufort Art Association Gallery is located at 913 Bay St. in Beaufort.

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By Tomeka Sinclair

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Reach Tomeka Sinclair at 910-416-5865